Pieces Of Her Reflection: An Everyday Is A Winding Road Side Story
by Celeste38
Summary: All it took was one photograph to turn Karai's whole world upside down. TMNT 2012/Nick TMNT Alt S1 Finale. Prequel to "Everyday Is A Winding Road"


**This is a companion piece to my multi-chapter, Mikey-focused fic, "Everyday Is A Winding Road".**

 **This oneshot does contain spoilers for major plot-points revealed in the first three chapters of the main fic. So if you were curious about that story, but haven't read it yet, then you may want to go and read at least those three chapters before diving into this. However, you don't have to read "Everyday Is A Winding Road" to follow what's going on in this oneshot.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"Who are you?" Karai murmured aloud.

She stood still before the mirror in the hotel room's bathroom, transfixed by her own reflection. Studying her eyes, her face, her body as a whole, as if she were seeing herself for the very first time.

Warm droplets of water dripped from her still-wet hair onto her damp face, trailing down her cheeks like tears. Others fell onto her bare shoulders, and what was exposed of her back, before being absorbed into the towel she had wrapped around her figure. The overhead fan, with its ugly dim light, hummed above her head as it slowly sucked in the humid mist cloaking the room.

On any other day, the fan's loud drone would annoy her tremendously, but on this particular morning she found it oddly relaxing to listen to.

It helped her block out the chaos screaming in her head. To shove down the storm of emotions that had kept her wide awake the entire night. To focus on coming to a decision on what she planned to do next.

Where would she even begin?

Karai sighed heavily, both physically and mentally exhausted.

Yesterday, she had woken up so sure of herself and the world she lived in. Life was so much simpler a few hours ago. " _What's that old saying?_ " She wondered, only to have it come to her an instant later. " _Oh, right…Ignorance is bliss. Well, that is certainly true._ "

Without her makeup on, she looked like a completely different person. Younger, with an air of innocence to her that she thought she had long ago lost possession of. After a moment of quiet study, Karai reached out a hand to wipe at the glass again to clear away the cloudy condensation that had begun to form from the shower's lingering steam. Almost desperate to keep her reflection clear in front of her.

It was a fruitless endeavor. Seconds after making the swipe, the mirror began fogging up again in a slow crawl across her slightly warped features. She felt like she was losing herself. Almost as if she were a ghost. Which she supposed, in a way, she was.

The rat's desperate words from the night before echoed in her memory when she finally left the sanctuary of the bathroom. She strode over to the bed, where she had laid out the clothes she wanted to wear for the day ahead, and snatched up her backpack. Shoving an arm deep into the rolled-up clothing she had packed in her hasty retreat from the penthouse, she felt around for her makeup kit. Her fingertips brushed up against something else instead that made her freeze for a moment once she identified what it was.

Her wallet contained a well-loved, but damaged family photograph that was taken when she was a baby. The Shredder had given it to her to remember her mother by, but also to remind Karai of what she had been robbed of for her entire life. She liked to keep the picture on her at all times, for it was her most prized possession. More valuable to her than anything else she owned.

As of last night, she now possessed two copies of the cherished image.

Pulling out the wallet, she flipped it open and took the photographs out. One was incomplete, faded, wrinkled, and burnt along the edges. The other was crisp, whole, and pure.

Growing up, it was easy to imagine the man who had raised her standing next to her mother in the missing portion of her copy the picture. But her discovery of the uncharred, complete version of the photograph in the Shredder's throne room, unintentionally left behind after Yoshi had fled from their earlier fight, revealed a life-shattering surprise. One that made his heart-wrenching pleas for her to hear what he was saying a little harder to ignore.

For it wasn't Oroku Saki standing beside her mother in the picture, as she had long imagined she'd see. No, it was the man she had been raised to hate, and to kill if Shredder failed to do so.

Hamato Yoshi's human face, frozen in time, was the one she had been shocked to see staring back up at her in the perfectly preserved copy of the family photograph.

Like poking at a fresh wound, Karai's mind wandered back to the memory of her discovery. Recalling how she had returned to her room with this new photograph in her hand, and how she had sat on her bed staring at it for what felt like an eternity. When she heard Bradford and Xever pass down the corridor outside of her room, bickering over who got to give Shredder their seemingly good news, the kunoichi slunk out and followed them. She had questions, and she had every intention of getting some answers.

Waiting outside her master's bedchamber, she overheard the report of what had happened at the Kraang's TCRI building and was surprised to find herself a little upset by the news. The turtles' betrayal of her trust still stung more than she cared to admit, but even without the truth of her heritage looming over her like a black shadow she couldn't help feeling sad by the announcement of their fates at the hands of her father's questionable allies. For a time, however brief, they had been the closest thing she had to friends since her childhood.

" _If it's true…then at least they went out honorably_." She remembered thinking to herself, feeling a little ashamed that she had withdrawn from her own efforts to stop the Kraang after her fallout with the mutant siblings. She had been in the midst of entertaining the idea of bringing up a possible strike against the aliens with the Shredder, when she heard his voice, cold and on the edge of gleeful, cut through her thoughts like a sharpened blade through paper.

"Yoshi will be even more desperate to get his daughter back now that he's lost his freakish students...And I will take great pleasure in watching her strike him down when he foolishly shows his face here again."

It might as well have been a confession. And if the Shredder had lied about her parentage, then what else had he lied to her about?

Back in the present, she tore her eyes off of the still faces of her parents and put the pictures back in their secure and safe spot in her wallet. Tossing it back into her bag with a sigh, she resumed her search for her makeup kit and pulled it out. Throwing her clothes on swiftly, and returning to the bathroom to finish getting ready.

She quickly took a blow dryer to her hair, and then laid out the contents of her makeup kit. The lipsticks, mascara, eye shadows, and rouge were all frequently applied favorites of hers. But for some reason, she found herself hesitant to put any of them on.

" _What did the rat…no…what did my_ _ **father**_ _call me last night?_ " She found herself wondering as she noticed an unused tube of lipstick in her peripheral vision. It was illuminated in the overhead fan's light, peeking up at her from its dark and forgotten corner in the makeup kit. It was a softer shade, which was not her usual preference. At least, not since she was a little girl. Now, though, it seemed to be calling to her.

Curious, she pulled it out and applied the color to her lips. Surprised to find that it looked nice on her after all. Encouraged by the feeling, she looked over her options for the eyeshadow and blushes and tried out the ones she felt would match well with the lipstick shade she had used. She stood straighter when she looked at her reflection again.

"I remember now," she murmured as she studied her own face. She pressed her palms up against the mirror, and the name that had evaded her memory until this point finally came to her. "Hello, Hamato Miwa."

* * *

Karai spent the next two weeks after that on an investigative journey of self-discovery.

Travelling to Japan first; she sought out the Hamato family, and learned all she could about their grief-stricken son who had fled to America after the tragic loss of his wife and daughter. In the days she spent with them, she uncovered more truths behind the lies she that had been spoon-fed her entire life. Becoming all the more angrier over what had happened sixteen years ago, and thirsty for vengeance.

After getting to know one lost portion of her family, she then took a flight to China to seek out the other. The Shredder had told her when she was little that her mother had no living family; but that, of course, had been a lie as well. And just as she had quickly come to love her paternal grandparents and extended family, she connected with her maternal grandparents and family just as swiftly. Bonding the most with her Aunt, Tang Amaya, in the days she stayed with them.

She suspected, as she hugged the woman goodbye on the morning she decided to return to America, that her aunt could possibly fill the void in her heart from a lifetime without a mother.

" _The Shredder will pay for what he has done to me…to all of us!_ "

Karai had been following the news about the fall of the Kraang, and the existence of their hundreds of mutant captives, while she was away on her trip. With her anger simmering more and more each day over the wrongs that had been committed to both the Hamato and Tang families, the young woman had become obsessed with getting revenge on the man who destroyed all their lives in the wake of her mother's death.

She came up with the perfect plan to make the Shredder face justice on that last morning with the Tang family.

Before boarding the flight that would bring her back to America, she placed a phone call. Telling an Agent John Bishop what she had to offer him, and arranging a meeting with him upon her return to New York City to discuss it in further detail.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Bishop asked her after he picked her up from the airport and she told him her story. Posing as a driver, he was giving her a ride home in the cab that had been acquired for the purposes of their secret meeting. Neither of them wanted to risk anyone on the Shredder's payroll spotting her with a government agent. "Once it is done, there is no taking it back."

"Good," she snarled from the backseat. Idly watching the people bustling down the sidewalk on her side of the street, and rolling her eyes at the anti-mutant and 'The End Is Near' signs she saw the more unbalanced citizens holding up as they preached their hate-filled propaganda. Tearing her eyes away from the distraction of the outside world, she stared ahead and caught the agent's eye in the rearview mirror.

Karai smiled bitterly at her companion, filled with a raw anger that had been building up in her chest since the night she had discovered the truth. She had no regrets over what she was about to do to the man that had raised her. "I look forward to watching that monster finally face justice for what he has done."

Bishop dropped her off at the Oroku penthouse. Driving away with her backpack still sitting on the backseat, while she strut into the building pretending she hadn't noticed it was missing.

For the next hour, she utilized all of her skills, taught to her by Saki himself, to gather up the evidence that she knew would damn the criminal lord to a lifetime of imprisonment. Once she had gathered enough to make the case against him air tight, she sent out the text signal to Bishop and waited for him to return with the bag she had left behind. Successfully making the exchange with the agent without drawing any suspicion towards themselves.

Anticipation curled in her gut for the rest of the day, and it took all of her will power to keep it concealed from her adoptive father during their interactions. Faking her continued loyalty, as if it had never wavered. As hard as it was for her to be patient, she resisted calling or texting Bishop for a status update on when he planned to act. It wasn't worth the risk, not with everything that was a stake.

Karai knew if the ball was dropped, and Shredder got away, that he may never be found again. Especially in as vulnerable of a position as he was in now.

When the moment finally came, at eight o'clock sharp the following morning, it didn't have the desired effect she had been expecting. She was surprised that her victory failed to bring elation to her heart. Even more so when she felt a pang of sadness, and even guilt, in its place instead.

As Agent Bishop successfully overwhelmed him in his act of resistance to the arrest, and his hands were bound behind his back in handcuffs as his henchmen were rounded up in a similar fashion, Oroku Saki's eyes flickered across the room to soak in his downfall. They landed on Karai, and locked with her cold gaze. In that moment, it seemed to dawn on him that his adoptive daughter was seemingly immune to the interests of the government agency. And his face fell as he connected the dots.

The look of heartbroken betrayal, as well as utter defeat, on the man's face was one that Karai would never forget.

As she stood in the penthouse's foyer, watching as Bishop and his men dragged the Shredder and his lackeys out into the street to be carted away in their high security cars, an odd sort of numbness washed over the young woman. She had gotten what she wanted. Sweet, sweet revenge. So, why wasn't she enjoying it?

Karai didn't want to linger on it. At least, not right now. She tucked away her conflicted feelings into the back of her mind. Setting her sights on her final task instead. Tracking down her birth father.

Not knowing where else to turn to, she made her way across the city. Finding the antique store that she had been scoping out a few weeks ago, and shimmying up the fire escape until she found the bedroom she was looking for. She drummed her knuckles against the glass of the closed window and waited. Shortly after, she was greeted by April O'Neil's angry icy-blue eyes when the other girl roughly tore open the window to confront her.

"What the hell do you want?" The red-head snapped, holding the tessen she had tried using against Karai before in a previous encounter tightly in her hand. Prepared to fight, even though she must have known it would likely be a fight she'd lose. After their previous two meetings, it was wise for her to be on edge.

Karai couldn't help smiling a little at that. She admired the girl's spunk, even if it had earned both of them their fair share of bruises and wounded egos. "I need your help."

"Oh, that's rich coming from you!"

"I'm being serious!" Karai insisted as she held up her hands, keeping her eyes locked on April's the entire time. "You can frisk me for weapons if you want. But I'll warn you now, if you try pushing me off this fire escape, or pulling any other stunts of that nature, I **will** break your wrist. Got it?"

"Didn't you just say you wanted my help?"

"I do. But I'm not stupid," the kunoichi replied with a laugh. "You've gotten the upper hand on me twice already after I pissed you off enough. You have every reason to dislike me, and I'm not going to make the mistake of underestimating you again."

April's glare never wavered, but after a moment she reached her right arm back to tuck the tessen into her back pocket, and then leaned forward to trail her fingers down Karai's body. The anger in her eyes remained, but there was a hint of curiosity in them now. "Fine, whatever. What did you want?"

"I want you to tell me where your Master Splinter is."

In a flash, the tessen was back in April's hand. "Yeah right! And why the hell should I do-?" The girl's Irish temper faltered when Karai silently presented her with two photographs. It took her a moment to realize that they were two copies of the same image, and her eyes widened when she realized she had seen the picture before. "How...?"

"The beaten-up copy is the one I've carried with me since I was a little girl," Karai explained quietly. "The Shredder gave it to me so I would know my mother's face, and to always remind me of what was stolen from me. I spent my entire life hating a man named Hamato Yoshi because of that…but the night I handed you over to the Kraang changed everything. I found this, and discovered the truth for myself."

Still startled and uncertain by the implied revelation, April tore her eyes away from the pictures to stare at the other girl in disbelief. "I don't believe it…. **you're** Miwa?!"

"Yes."

April leaned against her window frame as she let the surprising information fully sink in. She stared down at the tessen in her hand for a moment, then back at the photographs, before finally looking once more at the girl she had viewed as an enemy for months now. "Does the Shredder know you've figured it out?"

"Oh, I'm sure he does," Karai said in a bittersweet tone. Looking down at the photographs herself for a moment longer before putting them back into her wallet. She sat down on the railing of the fire escape and gestured at the laptop she could see through the window on April's desk. "Maybe you didn't catch the breaking news yet, but I'm the reason why he's just been arrested."

Hesitant to take the remark at face value, the red-head reached back through her window to grab the device and look up the news for herself. The tension on her face lessened as she skimmed through the credible sources that were reporting the Shredder's arrest. With a nod of reluctant acceptance, April snapped her laptop shut and put it back in its place on her desk. "Wait here a sec," she instructed as she slipped back into her room.

Knowing she had accomplished her goal in acquiring the other girl's help, Karai smiled. It fell with confusion when April returned to the fire escape with a sleeping mask, a sash from a bathrobe, and a set of earplugs in her hands.

"Alright, let's go."

"What's all that for?" Asked Karai as she followed her down the fire escape. Matching the other girl's pace once their feet hit the pavement. "You're not seriously expecting me to wear those, are you?"

"I know Master Splinter can take care of himself in a one on one against you," April grumbled testily as she sped up, "but I'm not risking this being some big elaborate set up to figure out the way to their home so you can ambush them later!"

"I'm not trying to set him up, O'Neil!" Although, she had to admit that it was something she likely would have done if she was still under the Shredder's influence. Wait. Had she heard the other girl right? "What do you mean by 'them'? I heard the report myself, Leo and the others were killed in the explosion at the TCRI building that night. Weren't they?"

"Not all of them…" April slowed down and glanced over her shoulder at her unlikely companion. A conflicted expression came to her face; as if she wanted to stay tight-lipped about the topic, but also had an overwhelming need to let it out as well. "Mikey showed up a few days ago. He wasn't in the room with his brothers when the bomb went off, but he was captured by the Kraang after that and they…," she seemed to struggle with the words. Her voice cracking with emotion as she tried to compose herself. "He's safe at home now, recovering, and that's all that matters."

Turning around completely, stepping closer to her, April gave Karai an icy look of warning. "I swear; if you do anything to hurt Mikey, I will hunt you down and kill you!"

Once again, the kunoichi was impressed by the other girl's challenging demeanor. "I'm sorry for the loss of Leo and the others," she said sympathetically, surprising herself to realize that she meant it. "I'm glad that Michelangelo survived, and I hope he'll be okay."

The sincerity in her voice seemed to soothe April's protective wrath, and after a moment they resumed their trek. Only stopping one more time before going underground, so the red-head could make Karai put on the precautionary items that the she had brought. The mask and sash over her eyes to completely block out her vision, and the earplugs to eliminate any tell-tale sounds that could possibly mark the way to the mutants' hidden home.

"I still think this is unnecessary," Karai complained.

"Tough."

Then, there was nothing but darkness and silence.

* * *

When her senses were restored to her, Karai blinked to adjust to the light. Once she did, her eyes wandered. Drinking in the details of her new surroundings, impressed by the space. This was far more luxurious than some cramped room tucked away in the sewer tunnels that she had been expecting to find herself in.

"Master Splinter?" April called out as she tied the sash around her waist and tucked the mask and earplugs into the front pocket of her jeans. Walking a few paces further into the old subway station and scanning the areas within her line of sight for signs of the mutant rat. "I've brought someone with me who really wanted to meet with you."

When that garnered nothing but more silence, the red-head huffed impatiently and gestured for the other girl to follow her. "Come on," she mumbled, "I think I know where he is."

Karai followed her lead, finding herself surprisingly nervous over the meeting that was about to occur. " _After our previous encounter…what if he's already made his mind up about me?_ "

"His fever's down, and his color looks better." An unfamiliar voice said from the end of the hall that April was bringing the two of them down. Light cascaded through the open doorway of the last room on their left, and as they got closer the distinct scent of antiseptic mingled with lavender assaulted their senses. "I'll bring more of the Nolvasan with me when I come back tomorrow, it seems to be helping with the shell rot much more effectively than the Betadine was. Call me, or Grandfather, if his condition worsens!"

The light in the doorway was blotted out for a moment when a Caucasian man in his early to mid-twenties passed through it to make his exit. Nearly walking into the two girls as he started saying his goodbye to Splinter over his shoulder. "Oh, excuse me, April; you've gotten so quiet that didn't notice you until I almost stepped on your toes!"

"April?" Splinter called out, sounding surprised to hear she was there. The sound of wood scrapping against the stone floor could be heard, and then he appeared in the doorway. His eyes fell onto Karai, and widened in his disbelief. He had not been expecting her presence in his home. "…Miwa."

"How's Mikey doing?" April asked after a moment of slightly awkward silence, with no one knowing what to say. "Has he woken up yet?"

"Oh, um," the young doctor cleared his throat. Successfully distracted from the unexpected reunion he had gotten caught in, he cast his gaze back to the bedroom he had just emerged from. "He's definitely improving, but he's still unconscious I'm afraid."

"Okay well," the red-head's eyes flickered back and forth between the father and daughter's stare-off, "I'm just gonna go in there and sit with him for a bit." She pushed past Splinter without a word, and slipped into the room. They all heard the old wooden chair creak as she sat down in it. "…hey, Mikey…"

"I don't want to be rude," the doctor remarked as he brought his attention back to Splinter, "but I need to go make my rounds in the community now. Like I said, give one of us a call if he takes a turn. Okay?"

"Thank you, Jacob." After watching his young friend walk off down the hallway to exit the Lair, Splinter brought his eyes back onto the young woman standing before him. Cautiously, he stepped forward with a gentle smile on his face. Almost as if he were afraid that if he made one wrong move, that she'd disappear from his life forever. "I was about to make some calming tea for myself. Would you care for a cup?"

Feeling more at ease to see him so nervous, almost as much as she was, Karai nodded her head with a smile of her own. Quietly trailing behind him as he guided her through his home to the kitchen. She was charmed by how cozy it looked, and took a seat on the stool closest to the door as she watched him open up cabinets to retrieve the herbs for the blend he intended on making.

"I can't believe I'm going to admit this out loud," she chuckled as she watched him put on the water, "but I wasn't sure you'd want to see me again after what happened that night."

"You are my daughter," Splinter replied softly over his shoulder. Placing the options for sweetener onto the island table, and taking the stool across from hers while they waited for the water to boil. "I am overjoyed that you have accepted the truth and sought me out."

"Even though I tried to kill you?"

"I hold no ill will against you for the lies you were raised on your entire life, little one."

The affectionate term threw Karai off. It sounded weird to her, having him address her that way when they barely knew one another. Especially when she was unaccustomed to such a blatant expression of love being directed at her. The Shredder, even in his softer moments, never showcased that sort of tenderness towards her.

It made her feel uncomfortable.

"I'm not a child," she said in a slightly defensive tone. Embarrassed, but also immediately regretful of how harsh she knew she must have sounded. " _It's not his fault he's desperate to make up for the years that were stolen from us._ "

"My apologies," Splinter replied. Recognizing her discomfort, it was his turn to feel a little embarrassed. "I look at you, and I still see the smiling baby I held in my arms so many years ago. But you are a young woman now, not a child. I shouldn't be addressing you in such a manner. Especially when we have yet to establish a relationship based upon our connection yet."

The shrill screech of the kettle cut through the air, and the rat gracefully rose from his seat to take it off the burner. Pouring the steaming liquid into their mugs, and presenting his young guest with her tea.

"Thank you."

"You are quite welcome."

Karai wasn't used to being respected by her elders. Feeling more ashamed of her objection of Splinter's unfiltered affection towards her, she averted her gaze. Flicking her eyes over to the sweeteners he had laid out for her to pick from, she snatched up the honey and applied a generous amount of it to her beverage. Realizing too little too late, with a flush of embarrassment, that she hadn't strained out the seeping tea leaves yet.

"Since you came to me," Splinter began. Pretending he hadn't noticed her nervous mistake. "Do you wish to ask me any questions?"

Grateful to him for getting the ball rolling, and giving her something else to focus on, the young woman nodded her head eagerly. Her mind was buzzing with everything she wanted to ask the man before her. But there was one question that rang out louder than all the rest. "What was Mother like?"

A cocktail of different emotions swam in the rat's expression, but his smile was warm as he strained out the tea leaves from his mug and took a sip of his drink. "She was such a bright and fiery soul. Passionate, strong, and intensely loyal." The smile widened as he remembered his wife, and his eyes twinkled as he looked at her daughter sitting across from him. "You have so much of her spirit in you!"

Karai couldn't help getting teary-eyed at that, and she let the sad-yet-sweet feeling overtake her. Unashamed, although she would have been if she were having this conversation with anyone else. It was refreshing, being able express her emotions more openly with someone like this without being made to feel like she was weak for doing so. "Would she have wanted me to become a kunoichi?"

"Why, of course! She would have taken you under her wing for some of the training herself."

This was surprising news. "My Mother was a kunoichi?!"

"Yes, and quite a formidable one to face in a match as well." Splinter informed his daughter with a fond smile. "She was trained in the art, alongside myself and Saki, by my own father." His happy expression faded as the sadder memories naturally came forth in his mind.

It didn't take much effort for Karai to piece together what had happened from there. Both Yoshi and Saki had fallen for her mother. She chose Yoshi, Saki reacted badly, and the confrontation likely happened not too long after that. And then… "She died protecting you?"

"I once was blinded by my temper," the rat confided, "and in that horrible confrontation, it was my downfall." Shame crawled across Splinter's features as he remembered that night. "Saki goaded me while we fought, and I let my anger take the reins. But instead of strengthening me, I was crippled by it. He overwhelmed me, and your mother stepped in. She overpowered him, cornered him, and demanded that he leave our home. The moment she let her guard down, he came at me again…and then…she was suddenly standing before me…"

Uncertain of what to do, although she felt his pain just as strongly, Karai reached across the table to envelope his free hand in hers. "I'm sorry!" She caught his eye, and smiled. "If it helps…Then, take comfort in knowing that his poison won't infect our lives any longer."

Concern replaced the sadness. "What do you mean?" Then, a desperate panic. "Please, I beg of you! Do not challenge Shredder!" Putting his mug down hastily, eyes wide with fear, Splinter placed his other hand over hers and gently squeezed. "I lost three of my sons, and nearly lost the fourth. I thought you were dead for years…Miwa, no, **Karai** , I understand your rage wholeheartedly, but don't-"

"I already have."

His shocked expression would have amused her, if not for the conversation they had been having beforehand.

"I didn't kill him," she elaborated as she pulled her hands away. Wrapping them around her warm mug, and lifting it up so she could take a sip now that the tea had cooled enough to her liking. "I wanted to kill him at first, but…" Despite everything, when it came down to it, she knew she couldn't bring herself to wield the reaper's scythe against the man that she had loved as her father for her entire life.

"It would have been too easy," she continued. Reiterating the excuse that she had told herself when she heard the news about the Kraang and began formulating her plan for revenge. "He wouldn't have truly had to face the consequences of his actions if I had simply killed him. I wanted him to suffer the way he made all of us suffer…so," she took another sip from her mug, "I gift-wrapped him for the authorities. Now, he'll spend the rest of his life in prison with nothing to do but think about what **I** did to him, and why I did it."

Splinter stared at her silently, then he closed his eyes and sighed with relief. Nodding his head with approval as he let Karai's tale of vengeance sink in. "I'm proud of you. For having a hand in bringing Saki to justice, and for not letting your anger cloud your judgment the way it has clouded mine…your mother would have been very proud of you too."

It made Karai's heart flood with joy to hear the praise, and she immediately felt herself relax for the first time since the whole ordeal had begun to unfold.

They spent the next few hours getting to know one another. And when Karai left the Lair, free of restraints this time, but still accompanied by a sullen April as her escort back to the surface, she felt happier than she had ever thought possible. This is what she was missing in her moment of victory. The final puzzle piece had finally fallen into its rightful place.

She was complete.

Once again, she found herself spending the night in a hotel room. Except this time, it was a much more pleasant experience. The food, which had tasted dry and flavorless to her during her previous stay, excited and satisfied her palate now. Her bed felt much more comfortable this time around too, and sleep came easily to her. Overflowing with happy, beautiful dreams.

She felt refreshed, like a whole new person, when she emerged from her shower the following morning.

" _There's just one question left to answer._ " Karai thought as she stood in front of the condensation-coated mirror. Wiping it clean and studying her reflection, just as she had done the morning after her discovery.

She wasn't perplexed by her own reflection this time. The girl staring back at her no longer seemed to be a ghostly stranger. Now, she saw a little bit of her mother in the face staring back at her, and some features of the father she was beginning to become acquainted with.

Karai rummaged through her makeup kit, and pulled out two tubes of lipstick. The dark red shade that she had favored for years in one hand, and the soft pink shade she had recently uncovered in the other. She considered them, then glanced at her reflection once more.

"So, who am I now?" She asked her reflection. Tapping her manicured nails against the plastic covers of the lipstick tubes, back and forth. Eenie, meenie, miney, moe. To keep the name she was raised by, or reclaim the name she was born with? That, was the question.

Except, maybe it wasn't as black and white as that.

She was the daughter of Hamato Yoshi, she knew that now, but that didn't change the fact that she had been raised by Oroku Saki. And as much as she would have loved to pretend that he wasn't a part of her anymore, now that she knew the truth and had reunited with her birth father…she knew it wasn't that easy, or that simple. Like it or not, she was Saki's daughter too.

Taking a moment to contemplate that, she finally settled on a decision. Plucking the cap off of the red shade that she loved so much, she applied it to her lips. Flashing her pearly whites as she smiled at herself in the mirror.

Who says she had to be one or the other?

"Hello, Hamato Karai."

* * *

 **I've wanted to tell Karai's story in the "Everyday Is A Winding Road" setting for a long time now. I'm glad I finally did it! I plan on doing the same for April, Splinter, and the Mighty Mutanimals too down the road someday. So, keep your eyes open kids!  
**

 **If you enjoyed reading this, then please don't be shy. Feedback is welcomed and greatly appreciated! :)**


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